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Valkyrie Driver

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Everything posted by Valkyrie Driver

  1. Valkyrie Driver
    They are both different takes on how to do what is fundamentally the same source. I like the Pros and Cons we've been seeing. I happen to think that the Bandai is delivering more bang for the buck, though both are far from perfect.
  2. Valkyrie Driver
    Schrodinger's Valk? (I'm not proud)
  3. Valkyrie Driver
    You might be right. Which is why I'm going back to watch it again, to see if my brain can handle it, now that I'm not under the constant barrage of daily life in the military. It never ceases to amaze me who many people purport sweeping statements about Macross 7, when they can't even describe the male lead properly. I think the first few parts of that statement sum him up pretty well. I don't recall if he grows past this, and it's pretty spot on at least as far as I have gone (we'll see). I just saw Basara fire his first shots in anger. I get that he doesn't think violence is the best solution, I agree, but he doesn't seem to get that sometimes violence is the only solution. I'm going to try to refrain from making any sweeping generalizations about Macross 7, since I apparently don't remember it all that well (it has been a few years). Mr. March does bring up a good point about my ability to accept the creative conceit and just sit back and enjoy the ride.
  4. Valkyrie Driver
    Ok. So fair to say that the Avionics systems are adequate, but not as good. So targeting might be slower, rate of climb and rate of turn might be less, thrust output might be the same or better, but the acceleration might be worse. The flight control system might have some smoothing built into it, thus negating the original's responsiveness. Are those the kinds of limits that would have been placed on the monkey models? Making them easier to fly, and easier to produce, but reducing effectiveness by flattening out the performance curve? Out of curiosity what sources are you citing for this, as this is new information to me, but that reasoning makes sense. I guess I was having a hard time with that, because I wasn't thinking in terms of colonialism. That's a fair list, I wasn't grouping into .5 generations, because I wasn't going into specific models and derivatives. I also included a 6th generation, accounting for the Integral super-dimensional equipment as a distinct technology shift. The VF-25, for all it's advanced systems and sorcery, was still conventionally equipped, whereas the VF-27 was bordering on that shift, and the YF-29 and YF-30 had both jumped into the super-dimensional swimming pool. Still a good list, and I can't argue with it, as it's not too dissimilar to what I came up with.
  5. Valkyrie Driver
    I think we have, all of us, agreed to disagree and let the mater go. We do not need to call any ore attention to this. These are not the droids you're looking for... I did not catch portugese being spoken, but I have no reason to assume it wouldn't be. I had always assumed the Macross Universe was a culturally diverse place. Much like our world is currently, only united (more or less) and not nearly as dangerous (post Unification Wars). I'll have to listen a bit more closely next time I run through the other productions... By the way, Is it the Unification War or Unification Wars? Was it just one war over the 10 year span, or was it multiple smaller wars? Is there any solid information on how long it/they lasted?
  6. Valkyrie Driver
    Which Is why I'm watching it again.
  7. Valkyrie Driver
    Frontier would be my second choice for introducing someone to macross. It is more Macross-y than Plus, while keeping some of the same positives. Down side is that it's not as accessible as plus, as plus had a dub. I didn't finish SDFM until I got the full DVD set. As far as the toys go, you really tend to get what you pay for. I wish the Hi-metal line was a bit more affordable, or that there was something in between the Toynami 1/100's and the Hi metal line. Unfortunately there is not.
  8. Valkyrie Driver
    Just because you get the results you want doesn't make you not insane. Yes things go the way he wants them to, but variables are changing outside his influence, and those changes are not all directly related to him. A sane person tries to get results, and might try multiple variations on a theme, to get those results, but Basara just charges in shooting speaker pods at everything and singing his heart out. I mean, kudos to him for being him, but he's one of those guys where you just want to take him aside and shake him, violently, hoping that will cure his madness. So far the only thing impeding my progress in this rewatch, is the repetitiveness of Basara, the slow pace of developments, and this Forum... I'd be a lot further if I understood more than preschool level Japanese.
  9. Valkyrie Driver
    Seeing an SV-51 re-engineered and constructed to AVF Specs with a super-dimension based weapon for a gun pod, and increased payload, would be really cool. Especially if such a craft were created specifically as a multi-mission attacker (Air Interdiction, Close Air Support, Low altitude bombing, Anti-shipping). Given the size of the SV-51 I think the wing is too small. The aspect ratio looks good, but I think If we were going to upgrade it, we would want to increase the wing area. Even as it was, based on the toy I think the Wing was under utilized in terms of munitions carriage. I don't have much info on the Monkey model variants, and their engine performance, and how they relate to the original prototype. It seems to me that the Monkey Models are superior in performance to the 19A/B/C/D's, and are more controllable. I have to admit the idea of refusing to equip your expeditionary forces with the best equipment available seems stupid to me. Given that the colonization plan was to ensure the survival of the species, why wouldn't you give them the best chance of accomplishing that mission? Given that the VF-171 as become the main line fighter, a more controllable ship with many of the advancements from project supernova, refined into a cheap mass produced fighter, I think that it's unlikely that aside from some one offs or a completely different setting we'll see older designs get revisited. We might see older concepts get recycled, into newer designs. Here's my revised listing of Variable fighter generations: Generation 1: VF-0, SV-51, VF-1 Generation 2: VF-4, VF-3000, VF-5000 Generation 3: VF-9, VF-11, VF-14, VF-16 Generation 4: VF-17, YF-19, VF-19, YF-21, VF-22, VF-171 Generation 5: YF-24, YF-25, VF-25, VF-27 Generation 6: YF-29, YF-30 That should be pretty accurate, grouped by specification requirements and technology base.
  10. Valkyrie Driver
    My Alto version is holding up very well, aside from some joints getting loose. I passed on the CF when I heard about the breakage issues. I do have one complaint about the design, and that is how floppy it is. It seems to me that they could have done the wings better, and made the toy lock together more effectively. When I handle mine in battroid it likes to come untabbed and then the whole torso just sinks. The VF-25 comes together much better, and despite the floppy shoulders and excessive wing kibble, I like how that one just locks up. The VF-19Advance has more transformation gimmicks and still locks together better than the VF-171. I'm just saying, a tightened up re-release would be in Bandai's favor...
  11. Valkyrie Driver
    My only response to this, is that I'm watching through the show again, so see if I catch anything different this time around. The music doesn't bother me in the least, I actually quite like it. Basara did sort of fit the definition of insanity though, doing the same thing over and over expecting different results...
  12. Valkyrie Driver
    I think that has a lot to do with folks that just don't transform their Arcadia toys often enough to really encounter these issues. That seems to be the trend I've noticed in this thread thus far.
  13. Valkyrie Driver
    The Head sculpt is also different. Also, the Alto seems to be made of stronger plastic. I don't have a CF, since I chose to pass on it due to the exploding thighs...
  14. Valkyrie Driver
    I like the amount of tampo the VF-19 has, what's there actually seems appropriate, The SMS print opposite the logo is actually reminiscent of the way the USAF used to mark the F-15. But I don't really care about the tampo so much. I can only go off of my Yamato VF-19F, but as I've said before, everything I can find says the arcadia YF-19 is almost the same basic toy with some slight differences. The yamarcadia ankles are definitely a point of contention...
  15. Valkyrie Driver
    Those were probably Japan only releases right? If so, I did not have the logistics to get them at the time. I don't own a PS3, though I'd consider it just for M30. However I'm unaware if M30 has an english option, and my ability to multitask has been severely compromised by multiple head trauma...
  16. Valkyrie Driver
    It's the only game I could get with the full control over a valkyrie, that also had a story and dialogue I could follow easily. It is thankful that you can skip the developer logo screens, do that I didn't have to watch that giant, noisy, kick in the happy sack, that is the HG logo screen. I hate HG with such passion, I'd like to take each of thee primary culprits of the abortion that is robotech, and the entire HG legal staff, and stake them out by their nuts, and set them aflame... They have pissed on so much that I love; Transformers, Battletech, Macross, they even managed to piss off GI Joe fans, which are somewhat of kindred spirits, as I loved GI Joe as a kid. Speaking of which, I found a bunch of my old 12" GI Joes the other day whilst going through my stuff. If I ever Get a detolf, they're going in it.
  17. Valkyrie Driver
    Fine, you win. Happy? Can we move on now? I think Azrael's post nailed it.
  18. Valkyrie Driver
    I have an annoying tendency to keep everything. In this case it paid off.
  19. Valkyrie Driver
    Ok, so there it is in all it's glory. I hate to burst your bubble though, but that's not how the USAF abbreviates those ranks. First Lieutenant is 1st Lt, and Staff Sergeant is SSgt, not F/Lieut and S/Sgt. You're right though, 1st Lt and SSgt are not ranks you can hold in the Navy. But holding to that being a pilot is something you can't do in the Air Force as a SSgt. You can't be a pilot and be a Petty Officer 2nd Class in the Navy either, so the whole thing just kind turns south in terms of realism. I was trying to illustrate that the same word can be used in multiple ways to describe different organizational things. Also, the closest thing to shotai would be an element. You're partially, right in that it's not a fixed organizational thing, and it's size is not defined. I'm not going to argue about this term because it doesn't matter. Shotai is shotai, as it really has no good analogue who cares what you call it. I honestly don't think they gave it that much thought, as they were producing this for consumption by a Japanese audience. As for the rank of brigadier general, the japanese don't need it because their forces are so small, and that position can be filled adequately by a senior colonel or junior Major General. However when you begin dealing with the scope that the UN forces are dealing with, you need a dedicated rank to fill that position, it's a delegation of authority thing. To be fair, it probably suggests more that it all falls under a unified command structure than anything else. I think we'd see a lot less distinction between different branches in the Macross universe. It seems to me that the UN Spacy and UN Marines would be found out in space, while the Army, Navy, and Air Force would be responsible for fixed points (like individual planets or star systems). I think you'd see a fluid transfer of personnel between them, based on assignment. more than likely, rank names would change depending on your operational specialty, aviation specialties might all use the air force rank system, while shipboard specialties might use the navy system (think we've seen that in practice but I don't know where, I'm sure I'll corrected if I'm wrong). Ok, for consistency I can understand. However, the problem is, the english translations have all been inconsistent. Mr. Kawamori would have to get involved and say one way or the other, and fact is, I don't believe he's really thinking about us english speaking westerners, because we're not the target audience. Current trends in business and diplomacy aside, I'd like to know where the notion that everyone is speaking english (in universe) is coming from. Finally this brings me to: ^^ This, all of it. Basically all we're doing is:
  20. Valkyrie Driver
    Hence why I keep pointing out that the Japanese names for the ranks basically don't change regardless of what branch we're talking about, because the ranks are descriptive. Technically a UN Spacy Ensign or 2LT or whatever would be Uchuugun Shoi. It doesn't matter what it is in English, since someone speaking japanese is going to call a butterbar, shoi. That's even assuming the rank insignia are the same, which I'm almost certain it isn't. In plus I'm pretty sure Millard was wearing an insignia that looked like an IJA Colonel. Lets also just assume that it's a unified command, If Dyson were ever promoted and given command of a fighter squadron, he might have the english rank major, but if he were given a frigate to command he'd be a Lieutenant Commander. Here's another interesting factoid, Squadron commanders in the USAF are sometimes appointed as Majors, but they don't stay majors very long. A USAF Squadron Commander is a LtCol billet. Just saying, Roy would never have been a squadron commander if he'd not been selected for LtCol, if the UN Spacy followed USAF conventions.
  21. Valkyrie Driver
    On a slightly related note, I found one of my PS2 memory cards, which means I may have my old save file of Robotech battlecry, and all the various goodies I unlocked. I'm going to have to give it a go!
  22. Valkyrie Driver
    If you could direct me toward the scenes you're referencing, I'll go have a look. I'm not going to argue about platoon vs team, because frankly that bit is pointless. I mean, the Navy calls their Platoon/Flight sized unit a Division (non aviation side), and has multiple different things that are called squadrons (aircraft can come in squadrons, as can ships, and in varying sizes). The direct translation of the JMSDF ranks basically amount to 3 ranks in what we would call company grade (which are all called lieutenant, with 3 different degrees) and Field Grade (all called Captain with 3 different degrees). I have not found any romaji for the other JSDF branches, but I would think they're similar. The Imperial system is what we hear most, but even then it breaks it down into junior officers and senior officers and then ranks them in order sho (small) chu (middle) tai/dai (big), i for junior officers, sa for senior officers. So Shosa is small senior officer, or a Major/Lieutenant Commander. As for how the squadrons are organized, well navy squadrons are small because space is limited. With more space, you could have bigger squadrons, and it may be a function of not having enough senior officers to command squadrons as they have junior officers and pilot officers. You'll also notice that we've always said usually, because there are annoying exceptions to every rule. Not all squadrons have their full amount of aircraft, nor do all squadrons have the bodies to put in all those seats. As for spinning off an Air Force, technically Naval Aviation is it's own entity in the Navy, and is generally separate from everything else. Also, Japanese is a very descriptive language. Also, the point at which we see that become a thing in the franchise, is way past our current level of military evolution. And who's to say that that the entire military hasn't just adopted a unified command, similar to the Canadian armed forces. While there is distinction between components, there's mobility between them. If you cross train to a different operational specialty, you, in essence, change branches (at least that's how I understand it, Canadians feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). That might be how the military forces in Macross have begun to work post space war one.
  23. Valkyrie Driver
    The wing mounted weapons are a disappointment with the Bandai. I wish it had come with some. Gun pod is a bit wonky the way bandai did it, having the whole gun bend instead of having the grip move. I don't own the Arcadia YF-19, but from what I understand it's almost exactly the same, mechanically, as the Yamato VF-19 toys. Those mechanics are wonderfully done, but it suffers some problems, like those super stiff gerwalk joints that make transforming the toy a terrifying experience. The elbows on the Yamato/Arcadia toys are limited, and you have to fudge a double jointed elbow by using the bicep hinge. Now both toys really suffer in not having a true double jointed elbow, the Yamato/Arcadia toys joints are too spaced out, while Bandai seemed to want to go for a more robust arm mechanism (looking at it, they put the swivel in the only place they could, given the way the arm was designed. Yes it limits articulation in some poses, but I don't think most people are going to notice and/or care that much). Last is the ankles, the bandai's ankles are well executed and this toy can pull off some very extreme gerwalk poses, because of the range of motion the ankles have. The Yamato/Arcadia can't do heel up on the ankles, so it's gerwalk is very limited (unless you use Jenius's ankle cheat). Bandai went the extra mile to make sure that they didn't compromise the integrity of the look in any mode. I can forgive some gappiness, with the fast packs due to how well everything fits together on this toy without them. I'm sure I'd love the Arcadia, but given how similar it is to the VF-19F I already have, I think I'd still enjoy my bandai just as much as I am without an arcadia. I voted for the Bandai, given how close the mechanics of the arcadia are to my VF-19F.
  24. Valkyrie Driver
    The Arcadia triple hinge kinda bothers me now that I've seen how Bandai executed it. It just looks better, and the Yamato was very similar. The Bandai feels like they took the best parts of the yamato, and the arcadia, designed the toy, and redesigned it with the new features they waned to add. While the toy does seem over engineered at first blush, it doesn't seem fiddly enough to be called that. I'm not tempted to get another one in the Isamu Colors, but if they do repaints I'm getting one.
  25. Valkyrie Driver
    I agree with this. I'd still probably pick the Bandai for handling though, because at the prices the Arcadia commands, it's not worth the potential for breakage... The Bandai seems really solid, and me transforming it, and posing it and generally playing with it, it doesn't seem like it's going to break.
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